Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PEC) have been associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Umbilical vein (UV) blood flow reflects the efficiency of fetoplacental circulation. The hypothesis that UV blood flow rate (BFR) is lower in abnormal pregnancies (e.g. IUGR, PEC) was investigated. The results show 1) a high correlation in UV BFR between MR and ultrasound confirms the utility of PC-MRI, and 2) a lower MR-based UV BFR, found in the adverse composite birth outcome group as compared to normal subjects, suggests that UV flow may be a significant clinical indicator of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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